Phuket Travel Guide

Phang Nga Bay

Overview | Coral Island | Maiton Island | Racha Island | Rai Yang Island
Khai Nok | Phi Phi Islands | Similan Islands | Phang Nga Bay

James Bond Island and Koh Pannyi are just two of the more famous spots in this bay. By far the best means of enjoying the spectacular scenery, with only brief encounters with the tourist crowds as James Bond and Koh Pannyi, is to take one of the boat trips from the northern end of Phuket. A leisurely day trip cruising through the dramatic limestone islands, occasionally stopping to enjoy quiet beaches, is far more rewarding than the standard bus-boat tour. Siam Exclusive offers tours on board a Junk through Phang Nga Bay either at daytime or sunset.

James Bond Island

This famous landmark first found its way onto the international map through its starring role in the James Bond movie "The Man With the Golden Gun". And this is where they seem to take all of the tourists - all at one time. The entire area surrounding this island with its signature rocky pinnacle is indeed spectacular, but most of the tours bus visitors up the main highway for an hour on the same well-worn itinerary. An integral part of that tour is lunch at Koh Pannyi.

Koh Pannyi (Sea Gypsy Island)

This is a remarkable village, the whole of it built out over water on stilts and with a giant rock monolith guarding its rear. At lunch time, up to 3,000 tourists on the James Bond Island tours are brought in to eat and shop for handicrafts. As soon as the tourists leave, the community closes up its restaurants and trinket shops and transforms itself from a tourist trap into a quiet community of fishermen.

Other Islands in Phang Nga Bay

Most of the islands are uninhabited. Many of them have spectacular caves (hongs in Thai) which you can only reach by an inflatable kayak. Koh Hong is one of the most popular of these islands.

Phang Nga Bay is also a great place to sail. The interesting limestone cliffs create a picturesque backdrop and there are many safe places to anchor all year round.

Rocky Cliffs

The cliffs are streaked with hues of black, tan, ivory, gray and red. Where do the streaks of red come from? According to some geologists, these stains are the result of iron deposits leached by ground water from ancient river beds. The tops of those islands were once part of a continuous land mass covered with forested hills and carved streams. That would have been long before human beings appeared on the scene. But sea levels have fluctuated significantly in more recent times. Approximately 10,000 years ago, for example, you could have walked between Phuket, Phang Nga or Krabi. And still, at that time, you would have seen these cliffs streaked with red and, perhaps, wondered why.

Basic White, Plus

Limestone is calcium carbonate, which is generally white. Over millions of years, the skeletons from a constant rain of marine organisms, plus the chemical precipitation of yet more calcium carbonate build thick layers of sediment. Eventually, the heat and pressure of their own weight turn these strata, hundreds of metres thick, to stone. A variety of geological forces have then fractured the limestone beds and pushed up the 40 steep-sided islands that provide the exotic scenery for which this shallow bay is noted. Mineral oxides from various sources paint the vari-coloured streaks that characterise the cliffs of Phang Nga Bay.

This area is a sailor's paradise. The fact that it's protected from both the Northeast and the Southwest monsoon seasons means that its waters remain calm year-round, which adds to the appeal of its scenic wonders and abundant wildlife.

Rooms with a View

And there are lost worlds awaiting discovery. It wasn't many years ago that aerial surveys first revealed the Hong, or "rooms", that lie inside some of Phang Nga's islands. These fabulous microcosms, hidden realms rich in unspoiled flora and fauna, are collapsed cave systems open to the sky and surrounded by towering limestone walls. Try sea-canoeing, where you paddle sturdy inflatable boats through caves into the mysterious hearts of islands such as Koh Panak and Koh Hong.

Overview | Coral Island | Maiton Island | Racha Island | Rai Yang Island
Khai Nok | Phi Phi Islands | Similan Islands | Phang Nga Bay